I'm obsessed with the African ranger boot. I love this company and what they do and stand for. Helping rangers in return is helping animals. I need a pair of rangers in my life. Love Jim Green 👍🏻👍🏾
Excellent demo! I live in Belgium, and managed to buy my rangers and vellies from a reseller in Germany. I must say I will never buy chukka boots/vellies from other brands :)
Just got my pair the other day .. I’m not far from nyc .. just wAterproofed my Rangers .. excellent boots .. my brother in law even bought a pair after seeing mine .
@@Robin6512 In Germany that would be "L´Atelier Monsieur" in Düsseldorf, they run the the german Jim Green Website and offer them on their own site as well
If you apply beeswax or some similar waterproofer like he did and don't wipe the excess off, you can throw it in the oven at the lowest setting. Melt all that in. Pull them out. And even while they're warm work even more into the leather, it'll really soak a lot in. For whatever it's worth this comes from Michigan winters
If you have new African Rangers and do not want to discolor them, you can use a nubuck/suede waterproofer spray to waterproof the boots as well and most of them will not discolor the leather at all. You will have to reapply periodically but that is even the case with beeswax.
My preferred method of applying leather care products is to use my fingers. No waste and you can work the product into the leather with the heat from your hand helping the absorption. I like Sno Seal, been using it for decades, and it helps chapped hands, too!
I used a boot cream on my African Rangers that uses beeswax, mink oil and pine tar. The mink oil changes the color dramatically of course, but I’m ok with that, these boots have a job to do. Light, steady rain came while I had to work outdoors on the range that morning. I expected my feet to get wet within 30 minutes, but after two hours getting in and out of the truck, they were just starting to get damp inside, not much worse than usual from just having my feet inside. I would say their dampness level was about equal to my waterproof boots that don’t breath well. My waterproof boots would only win in worse conditions.
In the northern half of the US a product called sno-seal is usually held in pretty high regard, I tried using a cheap generic beeswax coating and it was so ineffective I ended up removing it with saddle soap, all it was doing was making the leather breath less not preventing water from soaking in, I'm wondering if this might be due to the sanded crazy horse leather not having the smoothest, very top layer of the grain to repel water. Either way unless they're completely swamped some good wool socks keep my feet warm and feeling dry, and those only fit comfortably thanks to the extra room granted by the toe box. As long as the quality and fit stays consistent I'll be a Jim green customer for life.
Sno- seal does work well. I used to have a pair of engineer boots that weren't waterproof, but I liberally applied Sno-seal and able to walk through and actually stand in ice water and slush for several minutes with Mary a leak. Good stuff. I live in Chicago, so we do get some lousy weather.
I live in Minnesota, US. We’ve had a lot of snow and just last night had rain turning into ice everywhere. I’ve only had the Ranger boots for 2 weeks now, but they did very well on the ice, and so far in the snow, no issues.
Apply saddle soap with a medium size horsehair dauber. The brush you used is better suited to buffing or brushing dirt off. Applying the Smith's with your bare fingers is the best method. I agree with melting the balm in with a hairdryer. This allows the balm to penetrate the leather instead of just being a surface treatment.
I gave my Rangers this treatment right after I got them, since I live in Florida and it's always wet. I can confirm, they shed rain and puddles like a duck.
Thanks for sharing. Bought a pair this weekend. After applying a wax based conditioner like what you used, I apply enough heat via heat gun to melt the wax, so it wicks into the stitches and leather.
Have you ever considered making a horse riding boot? (Are there African Mounted Rangers?) A riding boot that allows natural toe alignment & foot function?
I've had a pair of these for only about two weeks now, when in "like new" condition they are still doing fine in wet grass which is the worst our winter throughs at us in Florida, for swamps I wear porous scuba diving shoes. Breaking the boots in wasn't that bad, the worst part was the insole starting off frim. Looking forward to aging these boots to my feet.
Clean with saddle soap. Oil with neatsfoot or mink oil. Then layers of wax paste polish. Oil and water don't mix. Water cannot penetrate a leather boot saturated with oil. Before each shift, and after each shift, I apply a layer of shoe polish and buff with a brush. Over time, all of those layers build up to protect the leather. Layers of wax paste creates a barrier, which beads off water.
Great video! A few weeks ago, I prepared my African Ranger boots for winter by applying a good coat of beeswax. I did not need to do any preparation because my boots are new 😀
I love both pairs of African Rangers that I have. Nice video. Always look forward to seeing your informative videos. Thank you. Hello from Bogalusa, Louisiana.
Just bought a pair of rangers probably getting the razorback too I deliver mail and go through shoes like crazy. Concrete is the shoe eater extraordinaire
Best conditioner I have ever found (and nobody ever talks about) is simply rubbing beef tallo into the leather. It totally waterproofs the boots and is the best conditioner I have ever used...and it's all natural!
Great video Gareth! I live in Salt Lake City, and use the smiths leather balm on my rangers. You were right, it works wonders with the snow, thank you for the recommendation! may I ask where you’ll be visiting in this area? I’d love to meet you and give you some of my pottery as a thank you for all the help I’ve gotten from you personally.
Hi James, glad to hear the leather balm is doing the job for those wetter conditions. We shall be attending the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show, please do pass by if you are in the area would be great to meet 💪💪
Love the vid! How do you prevent the midsole from absorbing moisture? I have tried treating with mink oil and bees wax and still get wet feet when walking through wet grass.
Hey There! I am currently saving up to get some African Rangers. My first priority is to get a pair of black AR8s, but I also like the look of the original African Rangers in black, or the Buffalo leather ones. I was wondering if you have any plans to make an AR8 with a cap-toe. Thanks!
Good day and thank you for your interest. We do offer custom boot orders and what you mention above can be completed as a custom order. Please do get in touch should you have any further questions and we can assist further from their with the order 💪
So I just got my first pair of African rangers, only wore them for 1 day in the store I run. Unfortunately, it's currently the rainy season in Illinois, where I live. Do I need to clean them with saddle soap before I waterproof them since they're brand new? Thanks in advance!
I am wearing my Jim greens right now. They are the barefoot version and I love them. Best must comfortable shoes I have ever had. By the way have you ever thought about making a goodyear welted version of your shoes. The only reason I ask if I noticed the a lot of cobbles will only resole good year welted shoes or boots. They will not work on anything else.
Later this year we may look at adding a premium version of it to the range as a stock item. For now you can order under our custom made boots option and requests the specs as you like
I just got these. One thing I don't see enough people mention is that the feature of keeping your steps quiet works well. People have accused me of sneaking up on them and I'm just walking normally. LOL
😂, that is the beauty of the Oringo Wedge sole! Can get through the bush with no trace and some might even say it works wonders for sneaking out the office 😜 All the best for the adventures ahead 💪🐸
@@JimGreenFootwearOfficial Thanks. Love em' so much I ordered the barefoot ones, probably will get the OG's in black too. Been looking for boots that can last and everything I've seen says these are it.
For those who own the ranger boots, since these have wide toe boxes similar to Keens, do you need to size down 1/2 size? I normally wear a 10-1/2 US. thanks!
I have a pair of African rangers that are only a month old. I live in a wet environment. Should I go ahead and do this to them even though they’re not broken in yet?
Hi Benjamin, thank you for your interest in Jim Green Footwear. Unfortunately, our Shoellie boot will not be available for Christmas, we are aiming for an early 2023 release for the boot 💪
@@barefootbob1269 I am not under the impression that Smith's sells internationally. Jim Green is making inroads in America, although they are hardly well know here.
@@stevenroche9874 I can't say what their sales practices are but a buddy of mine gets it sent to Canada so I am only guessing they send else where. Happy holidays.
@@JimGreenFootwearOfficial Gareth, if you really want to waterproof and condition your boots, I would use Scarpa HS12 Cream. It is made by Fenice in Italy. I have many of these products ( including Smith's ) and this is definitely a great one ! You should be able to buy it in South Africa. Best regards.
Nice result! Would heating up the shoes with a hair dryer after the wax improve the water resistance or would it just melt away and not be as effective?
@@hawkevick9184 That is FALSE. It is recommended to heat up shoes with a hair dryer when applying beeswax. It DOES NOT damage leather. Do not answer if you do not know the correct information.
Heating up the shoes with a hair dryer during the process works best to allow the wax to get in the leather pours better. The wax will discolor the leather but will protect it, it's also not permanent so regular applications are needed.
Hi Vu, we do not recommend using artificial or exposing your boot to extreme heats. This can delaminate the properties of the leather and cause damage to the boot 🥾🐸
Those won’t work in my state where we get feet of snow. Rubber bottoms are recommended, leather uppers are ok, but will also get wet if you are out in the elements for hours.
I don't wear mine when I'm tramping through deep snow while shoveling or something, but once it's cleaned up I wear them to go out and about. I don't mind them getting wet, but I don't want to be standing in snow In them either. I wear my insulated Bean boots that I've had forever for stuff like that, and they handle it like a champ
I also have very narrow feet and got myself a pair of African Rangers. They fit perfectly around my feet, took me 2 days to break them in. By far the most comfortable pair of leather shoes I got. Hope this will help you with your decision
